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While paying top dollar for such high-profile celebrities is not unexpected a number of lesser lights are also coining it in.

Jeremy Vine is said to take home a remarkable £800,000 for hosting Eggheads and presenting on Radio 2.

Antiques Roadshow presenter Fiona Bruce earns around £500,000

Politics show host Andrew Marr nets around £580,000 while Question Time compere David Dimbleby is well rewarded with £450,000

And Fiona Bruce can afford some of the better finds she helps unearth on Antiques Roadshow as her salary is £500,000.

The BBC is already planning to identify those earning more than £450,000 but the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee said there was no reason not to publish details of those who get more than £143,000 a year.

In May, a government white paper on the future of the corporation recommended revealing which performers and presenters are paid more than £450,000.

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The publicly-funded BBC said that would allow commercial broadcasters to poach its stars, which "wouldn't be in the interests of licence fee payers".

But in a report on the white paper, the select committee said: "In a world of agents and widespread online gossip, we do not accept that this level of confidentiality is necessary to retain talent, and we are very conscious of the fact that the BBC's performers, like management, are ultimately remunerated by the licence fee payer."

Question Time presenter David Dimbleby takes home around £450,000 (Image: Getty Images)

The committee's acting chairman, Damian Collins MP, added: "It's disingenuous to say confidentiality is needed to prevent poaching when in general everyone in the industry knows what everyone else is getting paid.

"The salary of anyone getting paid more than the prime minister should be published."

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But the BBC plan to fight the move. A statement said the corporation had "led the way in transparency by publishing details of senior manager salaries over £150,000".

It continued: "We cut our bill for talent pay by £8m last year, but creating a poacher's charter by publishing the salaries of individual presenters and actors wouldn't be in the interests of licence fee payers who say they want the best talent on the BBC."

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